Jeep Cherokee

Overview

Unlike most compact crossovers, the Cherokee is actually capable of heading off the beaten path. While the majority will be limited to family excursions and work-week traffic, the Cherokee has the Jeep brand name and a handsome exterior as selling points. Its optional powertrains are highlighted by a V-6 that can tow up to 4500 pounds and a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine that improves fuel efficiency. The Cherokee also has an impressive ride, but its acceleration performance is mediocre and every model suffers from subpar fuel economy and limited cargo space. Those who want the most rugged, most recognizable ute will appreciate this Jeep.

What's New for 2019?

Jeep single-handedly increased the appeal of the Cherokee by redesigning its polarizing front end. These updates are more than meet the eye, though, with a new engine, updated infotainment, and interior enhancements that include increased cargo volume. The refreshed exterior includes new wheel designs, capless fuel filling, and a restyled rear end with a lighter-weight liftgate. The new turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder is now the top engine, with more torque than the V-6 version. While its EPA ratings are higher, too, it can't tow as much as the V-6 can. Inside, the improvements include better materials and extra cargo space behind the rear seats. The infotainment system finally features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; both are standard, along with a new 7.0-inch touchscreen. A new Trailhawk Elite trim adds exterior and interior upgrades versus the standard 'Hawk—for more money, of course.

Jeep Cherokee Pricing and Which One to Buy

Latitude: $26,040

Altitude: $29,385

Limited: $32,245

Trailhawk: $35,190

High Altitude: $34,240

Overland: $37,990

We'd choose the Trailhawk model, which gets the stout V-6 as standard. An advanced all-wheel-drive system that features a locking rear differential is included, too. Other standard features are an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a full-size spare tire, red tow hooks, and matte-black hood decal, an off-road suspension with increased ride height, and 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. Those who want the torquier turbo four-cylinder will be charged $500. We'd save that money for the Trailer Tow package and the Cold Weather package. This combination unlocks the Jeep's maximum tow capacity and adds a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, and remote start.

The standard four-cylinder engine and optional V-6 are joined by an all-new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It makes 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque (56 more than the V-6) and slots at the top of the powertrain pyramid. While we've yet to test the new engine at the track, we've spent time with it during our first drive. We found the turbo four to be lackluster compared with the V-6 due to its dull responses to throttle inputs; the new four-cylinder also has less towing capability (4000 pounds max versus 4500). While the nine-speed automatic transmission has been revised for 2019, it was hesitant to make deliberate downshifts.

As you'd expect from a Jeep, the Cherokee drives with heftiness and solidity, making it feel larger than its rivals. Despite its off-road abilities, the Cherokee is still based on a car, meaning it provides a comfortable ride and decent handling on the road. Relatively firm suspension tuning controls body roll in corners without compromising the ride quality. Impacts are absorbed without much excess reverberation, and the Jeep never feels floaty on the highway. We wish the steering provided more feedback from the road, but it's nicely weighted and accurate. A firm-feeling brake pedal engenders calm in panic-braking scenarios, and the Cherokee's 70-mph-to-zero emergency-braking performance is average for its class.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The Cherokee has among the worst fuel economy in its class, according to both the EPA and our real-world testing. While we've yet to subject either four-cylinder version to our highway fuel-economy test, their EPA estimates aren't much higher than those for the V-6. Although the six is unchanged for 2019, the standard nine-speed automatic has mild updates that coincide with Jeep's efforts to reduce the crossover's weight. Compared with the last Overland we subjected to our testing regimen, the latest version earned 25 mpg highway—or 1 mpg more than before.

With supportive seats and easy-to-use controls, the Cherokee's cabin is comfortable. An attractive dashboard that mimics the larger and more expensive Grand Cherokee's layout helps cultivate an upscale feel. However, given that the Cherokee is larger on the outside than many of its competitors, we'd expect it to feel more spacious on the inside. Small windows and high windowsills contribute to the feeling of confinement.

The Jeep's available Uconnect infotainment system is among the best in the business, with well-organized menus and ample features. Starting on the Latitude Plus trim, every model adds two USB ports on the back of the center console for use by rear-seat passengers. Now that every Cherokee has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too, all that's missing is a way to have it read your thoughts.

The Cherokee's cargo area is smaller than most vehicles this size, and interior cubby storage is average at best. It's more difficult to load items into the rear than into some of its rivals due to the Jeep's high lift-over height. For 2019, the rear cargo area is now about three inches wider, which increases cargo volume behind the rear seats by three cubic feet, up to 28 total. Still, that's significantly smaller than top rivals such as the Ford Escape (34 cubes) and the Honda CR-V (39).

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The 2019 Cherokee has not been crash tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Jeep offers a full range of optional driver-assistance features, but most of them are only available on the more expensive models that are equipped with an optional package, meaning you'll spend more than $30,000 for the safest Cherokee. Key safety features include:

Available forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking

Available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist

Available blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

The Cherokee's warranty coverage is average for its class. Competitors such as the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson are the only rivals that offer significantly longer powertrain warranties. The Cherokee is available with the Jeep Wave ownership program, which provides original owners with complimentary scheduled maintenance for the first two years. The Jeep Wave program is standard and Overland and Trailhawk models, but customers of lesser Cherokees can opt-in by paying a fee.

2019 Jeep Cherokee V-6 AWD

An undistinctive SUV loses its most distinctive feature.

Recent News

When Jeep resurrected the Cherokee name for 2014, it did so with a compact crossover with a surfeit of front-end lighting. Of the trio of lamps per side, it wasn’t immediately clear which was the headlight, which was a fog light, and which was there just because. Whatever your feelings on the arachnid-like face, it was distinctive.

The refreshed 2019 Cherokee is less so. Every Cherokee has lost its belighted front styling, so you’ll no longer be confused by which light does what. There are now two prominent, obvious headlights that flank Jeep’s signature seven-slat grille. Beneath those are smaller fog lights. Simple. In back, the Cherokee’s taillights feature new internals, and the license-plate nacelle has moved from the lower bumper to the center of the liftgate.

Hmm . . .

Having swung the Cherokee’s aesthetic pendulum from overly interesting to somewhat boring, Jeep’s stylists—it could be said—brought the SUV’s outward appearance in line with its indistinct personality. Excepting the off-road-oriented Trailhawk trim level, whose capability is peerless in this class, the Cherokee remains a merely average crossover.

Among the Cherokee’s biggest changes outside of its resting bored face is a new, range-topping 270-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine option. That new powertrain, which includes a nine-speed automatic transmission, was not fitted to our test car. Instead, our Cherokee came with the same 3.2-liter V-6 that has been offered as an option since this generation of Cherokee debuted. (A 180-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is standard and now benefits from an automatic engine stop/start function.) The V-6 holds just a 1-hp advantage over the new turbo four and is down 56 lb-ft of torque to the boosted mill.

That power disparity—not to mention the V-6’s EPA-estimated fuel economy that lags behind that of the two available four-cylinder engines—explains why the V-6 is no longer the Cherokee’s premier powerplant. The V-6 is a $1745 upcharge on every trim level save for the Trailhawk and the Overland reviewed here, where it’s standard equipment. Jeep charges $2245 for the new turbo four on every trim except for the base Latitude (where it isn’t available) and asks to $500 on the Trailhawk and the Overland.

Anything beyond a hamster spinning a wheel is better than the Cherokee’s base 2.4-liter engine, which casts the V-6 in a relatively favorable light. The six is smooth and ladles its power to the wheels in a linear fashion, even sprinkling in a nice throaty exhaust ripple as the revs rise. Plus, a V-6 is a rapidly disappearing engine type among the Cherokee’s competitive set.

Lost in Transmission

Too bad the pleasant-mannered V-6 is dulled by the Cherokee’s substantial curb weight and ZF’s still-not-great nine-speed automatic transmission. Not only did our more or less loaded Cherokee Overland’s 4250-pound curb weight dull its zero-to-60-mph acceleration to a so-so 7.2 seconds (roughly on par with non-turbocharged four-cylinder competitors), it posted just 19 mpg overall during our time with it. That figure matches the EPA’s city fuel-economy estimate for this Cherokee powertrain, while the 25 mpg we recorded on our 75-mph real-world highway fuel-economy test loop falls 2 mpg short of the EPA’s highway estimate.

Although Chrysler claims to have fixed the nine-speed transmission’s biggest bugaboo—its seeming allergy to its ninth gear in normal use—reaching that top gear still seems dependent on the alignment of celestial bodies, a prayer uttered beneath one’s breath, or a good long downhill stretch of road. We suppose it’s for the best, since the transmission is highly reluctant to downshift. By steadfastly trying to stay in too tall a gear most of the time, the transmission ties blocks of concrete around the Cherokee’s ankles. Requests for small increases in throttle to maintain speed or accelerate gently simply go unanswered; if you’re on level ground, that means a big gas-pedal stomp is necessary to kick down several gears and accelerate with haste. Should you find yourself climbing a mild grade, the Jeep will slowly lose speed until you give it the boot. The problems don’t end when you come to a stop, either; accelerating from rest, the transmission stumbles trying to pick between first and second gear.

Crossing No New Ground

If the Cherokee has an area of expertise, it’s feeling bigger than it is, similar to the GMC Terrain / Chevrolet Equinox twins. This is a selling point, not a demerit, for the Cherokee’s core audience. As before, the Jeep moves quietly over the road with a palpable sense of heft (and it is quite heavy), its suspension absorbing bumps and thumps without sacrificing decent body control when cornering. Predictably, you won’t have fun on a twisty road—not with the subpar 0.80 g of cornering grip we measured on our skidpad—but the Cherokee steers accurately and the body doesn’t keel over. The brake pedal moves through a viscous, firm stroke that on a sensory level matches the heavily weighted steering action.

The interior, which carries over mostly unchanged from last year, is functional, attractively styled, and assembled from above-average materials (more so in upper trims). Yet the cramped cabin suffers from thick roof pillars, and the high seating position clashes with the fairly low roof. And although Jeep’s advertisements feature the tagline “the world comes with it,” you can’t actually fit that much stuff inside the Cherokee. Per Jeep’s specifications, its notably smaller Compass actually holds five cubic feet more stuff when both vehicles’ rear seats are folded down; behind the rear seatbacks, cargo volume is effectively the same between the two Jeeps. (In our testing, we were able to fit one more carry-on-sized case behind the Cherokee’s rear seats versus the Compass; we loaded two extra cases into the Cherokee with the back seats lowered.) Oh, and even though the Cherokee’s body is 10.1 inches longer overall—and rides on a wheelbase that’s 2.8 inches longer than that of the Compass—its cabin volume edges the Compass’s by a mere one cubic foot, and the two SUVs’ leg- and headroom dimensions are right on top of each other.

So, what justifies the Cherokee’s existence alongside the more affordable, better-looking, just-as-roomy Compass in Jeep showrooms? Besides the fact that Jeep can’t sell enough vehicles with its name on them, the Cherokee trades at higher, more profit-friendly prices. An entry-level, front-wheel-drive Cherokee Latitude starts at $25,440, which is $3000 more than a Compass; the least expensive Cherokee with the V-6 will run you $27,185 (add $1500 for all-wheel drive), including Jeep’s absurd $1445 destination charge.

It’s just a hop, skip, and a shrug between those Cherokees and the top-dog $39,220 Overland pictured here. Accounting for our test vehicle’s $1295 panoramic sunroof and $995 Technology package (rain-sensing windshield wipers, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, automatic high-beam control, an automatic parking system, and blind-spot monitoring), you’re looking at a $41,510 leather-lined compact Jeep crossover. Given the Cherokee’s utterly unexceptional looks and performance, we’d suggest opting for whichever version you can get for about $10,000 less, given the crushing excellence of competitors such as the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5, both of which top out under $35,500 with similar equipment.